Aspiring executives are around every corner. Look in every office and cubicle around you, and chances are you will find someone who has ambition and aspiration to make it to the top. The sad news is, not all of you will make it. Only those who know how others got there will even stand a chance.
Your success depends on deliberate planning on your part.
What I share with you will not produce results unless you hold yourself solely responsible for the actions and the results. There is no room for victims in the C-suite of your organization. There is no room for excuses when you are an executive officer of your company. Victim mentality and excuses must exit your system now.
Here are a few things you can do to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the career change you are about to embark on:
1. Set a clear intention for who you want to be, and what you want to create for yourself.
2. Create a clear and defensible plan.
3. Have Courage and Persevere.
Recognize that for every win we create in our lives, there was a price to pay or a challenge to overcome. The price we pay or the size of the challenge is always equal and opposite to the benefit gained. Don’t be discouraged by the challenges you will face. They are the source of your future wealth.
“Skepticism, disappointment and resistance are measures of success; clues that you’re on the right path. If everyone’s happy, then you’re not doing great work.” (Michael Bungay Stanier, author of “Find Your Great Work”)
4. Know your fuel.
Identify where you get your energy from so that you know how to tap into it when it is needed the most. Read my blog article “What’s Your Fuel?”
Take the time to prepare, but don’t take too much time. Execution is about getting things done. It is futile to wait for perfection when everyone else around you is moving up despite their imperfection. Start right away, and accept imperfection as a blessing that will pay high dividends when you get to the corner office first.
What I share with you will not produce results unless you hold yourself solely responsible for the actions and the results. There is no room for victims in the C-suite of your organization. There is no room for excuses when you are an executive officer of your company. Victim mentality and excuses must exit your system now.
Here are a few things you can do to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the career change you are about to embark on:
1. Set a clear intention for who you want to be, and what you want to create for yourself.
- Write down your intention somewhere that you can refer to it daily. Let this be your guidepost for your journey. Your beacon for your voyage.
- Answer “why” five times. Really understand how this intention matters to you, and its true meaning in your life. This will help keep you focused when you feel you might be straying.
- Get off the fence. Decide what you want, and go after it whole-heartedly. Don’t get paralyzed by conflicting desires.
2. Create a clear and defensible plan.
- Identify up to five things that must happen for you to achieve your intention.
- Identify the people in your life who will be part of your team to achieve your plan. These are the people you will lean on for Advice, Support and Advantage (ASA).
- Set out the actions you will take to make things happen, and do them.
3. Have Courage and Persevere.
Recognize that for every win we create in our lives, there was a price to pay or a challenge to overcome. The price we pay or the size of the challenge is always equal and opposite to the benefit gained. Don’t be discouraged by the challenges you will face. They are the source of your future wealth.
“Skepticism, disappointment and resistance are measures of success; clues that you’re on the right path. If everyone’s happy, then you’re not doing great work.” (Michael Bungay Stanier, author of “Find Your Great Work”)
4. Know your fuel.
Identify where you get your energy from so that you know how to tap into it when it is needed the most. Read my blog article “What’s Your Fuel?”
Take the time to prepare, but don’t take too much time. Execution is about getting things done. It is futile to wait for perfection when everyone else around you is moving up despite their imperfection. Start right away, and accept imperfection as a blessing that will pay high dividends when you get to the corner office first.